Genome Blog [Category - Mountain Pine Beetle]

Genome Blog [Category - Mountain Pine Beetle] Blog Description [Category - Mountain Pine Beetle] en-us Wed, 01 Feb 12 16:59:10 UT Wed, 01 Feb 12 16:59:10 UT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Marqui 6.0 System Administrator System Administrator Mountain Pine Beetle Jumps Tree Specieshttp://genomealberta.ca/blogs/mountain-pine-beetle-jumps-tree-species.aspx
It has long been suspected that the beetle was invading hybrid tree species, but using newly developed DNA genotyping and location data, the University of Alberta team found that pure jack pine are now being attacked by the beetle and the blue-stain fungi the beetles injects into the tree. The discovery was largely due to the work of U of A molecular ecologist Catherine Cullingham, first author of a paper published online today in the journal ‘Molecular Ecology’. ( the open access version is available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05086.x/full )

“Tracking the pine beetle’s progression and telling jack pine from the hybrid species took a lot of work” said Cullingham. “It was tricky, but our research team used molecular markers to conclusively show that the latest pine species to be attacked are indeed jack pine.”

University of Alberta Researcher Janice Cooke points out that the “Jack pine is the dominant pine species in Canada’s boreal forest. Its range extends east from Alberta all the way to the Maritime Provinces.” The infected area of north-central Alberta is a gateway area into the boreal forest. The paper also suggests that apart from the new host species opening up a new range for the beetle to attack, the risk could be made worse by future climate change.

“Forest Managers now have to recognize the fact that before there was a barrier as the beetle occurred only in lodgepole pine, but now it is occurring into the boreal so it can continue spreading. Forest Managers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario are going to have to be cognizant of this potential and the potential impact on their forests.” said Cullingham.
The current Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak has affected over 14 million hectares of forest land in Western Canada. It is the largest outbreak documented since record taking began 125 years ago.

Genome Alberta’s President and CEO David Bailey said, “This is an excellent team led by Dr. Janice Cooke and with this new information on the MPB’s ability to survive and multiply on other pine tree sources it places pressure on the researchers to find a means of slowing the beetle migration before it has infected and destroyed even more of our northern boreal forests.”

The research is to be published online today in the journal, Molecular Ecology. This research is being conducted by the Tria project and is funded by the Government of Alberta through Genome Alberta, Genome British Columbia, and Genome Canada.

About Genome Alberta:

Genome Alberta is a publicly funded organization that initiates, funds, and manages genomics research and partnerships. We are based in Calgary but lead projects around the province and participate in a variety of projects across the country. We are one of Canada's six Genome Centres and work closely with these centres to advance the science and application of genomics, metabolomics, and many other related 'omics'. Apart from the scientific contributions and advances that come from our research, we contribute directly to the economy and have put almost 20 million dollars into salaries, benefits and consumables since we were created in mid 2005.
For the latest in life science news visit our GenOmics application at http://facebook.genomealberta.ca or visit us on the web at http://genomealberta.ca
For more information or to arrange an interview:
Mike Spear
Director of Corporate Communications
Genome Alberta
(403) 813-5843
email: mspear@genomealberta.ca

We also have a series of images related to the new Mountain Pine Beetle findings:]]>Mon, 04 Apr 11 15:15:00 UTAthens Without Ever Leaving the U.S.http://genomealberta.ca/blogs/main_05210904.aspx

]]>Fri, 22 May 09 00:15:00 UTA scientific oasishttp://genomealberta.ca/blogs/main_05210901.aspxHow quickly we’ve reached the last day of BIO 2009 and I have to wonder where the time has gone. The last two days have been packed solid starting with a great view of the Canadian pavilion opening on Tuesday. As we were right next door, foot traffic by the booth was high for quite a while and again I had excellent discussions with people interested in science that Genome Alberta is funding (many on the pine beetle project, a personal favorite of mine). I liken the booth to a scientific oasis in a sales desert where people can relax for a few minutes from the high powered trade show floor. Also, these projects seem to bring out a personal connection with people as they reminisce about past experiences.]]>Thu, 21 May 09 14:15:00 UTDefending the castle – a pine tree response to MPB attackhttp://genomealberta.ca/blogs/main_12140801.aspxLooking at images of pine forests in BC and Alberta, the effects of the MPB epidemic are easy to see. In face of this pictorial assault, it is easy to forget that MPB attacks may not always result in the death of the tree. Pine trees have their own array of defence responses giving them a chance to repulse invading insects (such as MPB) and pathogens. I thought I’d touch on one of the primary responses by pines (and other conifers) in this blog, and that is the production of oleoresin, a viscous and odoriferous mixture of chemical compounds.]]>Mon, 15 Dec 08 05:30:00 UTA beetle is a beetle is a beetle, right?http://genomealberta.ca/blogs/main_09040801.aspxThu, 04 Sep 08 16:00:00 UTMPB project at BIO 2008 – final dayhttp://genomealberta.ca/blogs/main_06200801.aspxAs the exhibition portion of the BIO convention wraps up this morning, I felt a bit of reflection over the last few days was in order. I've had a chance to interact with a really diverse group of people from all aspects of the biotech community. Though not directly working on MPB research, the level of knowledge about the outbreaks in Colorado and the science behind our research was amazing. More than a few people commented that the discussions they had with our booth were refreshing and a good break to the networking and business aspects of their days here. The opportunity to talk to the international biotech community about our work was also a unique opportunity I was glad to have.

Besides the exhibition floor, the networking opportunities at outside events (receptions, galas, dinners) were immense. For anyone who has not attended a BIO convention before (such as myself), the real ability to interact with thousands of people is a huge benefit. I’m sure I talked with twice as many people about our research and Genome Alberta outside the trade show as within it. For me the experience here this week was hugely positive and I hope the opportunity arises to do this again.

]]>Fri, 20 Jun 08 18:30:00 UTThe Mountain Pine Beetle project at BIO 2008 – Exhibition day onehttp://genomealberta.ca/blogs/main_06180801.aspx

To begin, I need to say what an event the BIO International Convention is. This afternoon’s exhibition session started off with a bang with the formal opening of the Canada Pavilion. This was followed closely by the opening of the BioAlberta Pavilion where I had the pleasure of briefly meeting and talking with the Honourable Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. I was also pleased at the level of interest both the poster and the Genome Alberta booth received. I had numerous discussions about the project with people who work in all aspects of the biotechnology field. Interestingly, many of them were not researchers. Quite a few were drawn by the poster, but even more stopped to look at the slide show of images we displayed to reflect the project. The scanning electron microscope images were a really big draw. From all the discussions I had today, one stood out. Two gentlemen from Malaysia approached the Genome Alberta booth, drawn to the pine beetle project due a similar situation they were experiencing with an important crop plant. They were intrigued by the integrative genomics approach we were taking and felt it had direct applicability to their situation. To me this demonstrates the broad applicability of our approach and the various scenarios it can be applied too. I definitely look forward to another interesting and engaging day tomorrow. Who knows who else could drop by the booth?

Discussing the Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic Project with the Honourable Doug Horner (right) at the Genome Alberta Booth at BIO 2008

]]>Wed, 18 Jun 08 06:15:00 UTMountain Pine Beetle project on the road – 2008 BIO International Conventionhttp://genomealberta.ca/blogs/main_06170802.aspxTue, 17 Jun 08 19:45:00 UTWorking together - mountain pine beetles and their fungal associateshttp://genomealberta.ca/blogs/main_05290801.aspxThu, 29 May 08 13:30:00 UTBlue stain fungi – an important part of the mountain pine beetle epidemichttp://genomealberta.ca/blogs/main_05090801.aspxSearching for images of the MPB infestation yields a plethora of pictures of dying trees with their characteristic red needles, or those of the beetles themselves which are as small as a grain of rice. We cannot, however, forget the importance of our other player, the blue stain fungi. Though we don’t see them at work, fungi play a crucial role in the epidemic. Therefore, knowing the biology of the fungi is another key component to understanding the epidemic itself.

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